The team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been disbanded, according to a report from the French media outlet Origami.
In a video posted today in French (for which IGN has independently verified a translation posted on ResetEra), Origami reports that the team behind The Lost Crown was disbanded despite seemingly positive reports from developers on their experiences working on the game.
Per a tweet by Gauthier Andres: “I’ve heard and read ‘It was the best game production in my entire life’ three or four times in a single weekend while getting information on the game’s development. One after the other I was told it was seen as a beacon of hope to create a safe space for people that were burnt out by the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2. The team has been disbanded by Ubisoft.”
J’ai entendu ou lu “la meilleure prod’ de ma vie” trois ou quatre fois en un week-end à propos du développement de PoP The Lost Crown. Tour à tour espoir d’une autre manière de créer et zone de réhabilitation pour gens crâmés par BGE2, l’équipe a été dissoute par Ubisoft. https://t.co/FFz9cfm4xj
— Gautoz (@gautoz) October 22, 2024
The video also states that the game’s fate was effectively decided just a few weeks after its release. The core game development team reportedly fought to get a sequel or at least more expansions beyond the single Mask of Darkness expansion. However, Ubisoft allegedly needed more help on other projects that had better sales potential. According to the report, The Lost Crown did not meet Ubisoft’s sales expectations, and executives expressed concerns that a sequel would cannibalize long-term sales of the first game.
It is unclear from the report exactly what the status of the members of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team is at this time. The game was developed at Ubisoft Montpellier, which employs hundreds of individuals and was last known to be working on the indefinitely postponed Beyond Good & Evil 2. It’s likely that team members were, as suggested by the report, moved onto other projects.
The reported fate of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, if true, is unfortunate given the game’s positive reception. The game received an 8/10 rating from IGN, with a review stating that it “captures not only what made games such as The Sands of Time so good, but it irons out a lot of the little issues that plagued the 3D games in this series by opting for a 2D perspective – and owning it.”
What are your thoughts on the disbanding of the development team? Do you think Ubisoft’s decision was justified based on the game’s performance? Share your opinions in the comments below!
Plain Text Version
The team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been disbanded, according to a report from the French media outlet Origami.
In a video posted today in French (for which IGN has independently verified a translation posted on ResetEra), Origami reports that the team behind The Lost Crown was disbanded despite seemingly positive reports from developers on their experiences working on the game.
Per a tweet by Gauthier Andres: “I’ve heard and read ‘It was the best game production in my entire life’ three or four times in a single weekend while getting information on the game’s development. One after the other I was told it was seen as a beacon of hope to create a safe space for people that were burnt out by the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2. The team has been disbanded by Ubisoft.”
The video also states that the game’s fate was effectively decided just a few weeks after its release. The core game development team reportedly fought to get a sequel or at least more expansions beyond the single Mask of Darkness expansion. However, Ubisoft allegedly needed more help on other projects that had better sales potential. According to the report, The Lost Crown did not meet Ubisoft’s sales expectations, and executives expressed concerns that a sequel would cannibalize long-term sales of the first game.
It is unclear from the report exactly what the status of the members of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team is at this time. The game was developed at Ubisoft Montpellier, which employs hundreds of individuals and was last known to be working on the indefinitely postponed Beyond Good & Evil 2. It’s likely that team members were, as suggested by the report, moved onto other projects.
The reported fate of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, if true, is unfortunate given the game’s positive reception. The game received an 8/10 rating from IGN, with a review stating that it “captures not only what made games such as The Sands of Time so good, but it irons out a lot of the little issues that plagued the 3D games in this series by opting for a 2D perspective – and owning it.”
What are your thoughts on the disbanding of the development team? Do you think Ubisoft’s decision was justified based on the game’s performance? Share your opinions in the comments below!